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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stock — shares
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bass — the fish
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. vault — a safe
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bass — low music
  20. snap — to click
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. stock — goods

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com